In Memory

Terry Raney - Class Of 1961

Terry William Raney died at his home Sunday, May 10, 2015, from cancer. He was 71. Terry was born on June 16, 1943, in Ohio, to Anne and Bill Olson. When Terry was 3, his mother married William Edward Raney, the father who raised him and the namesake of his oldest son. Terry grew up in suburban Cleveland, Ohio, where he graduated from Rocky River High School. He went on to earn a bachelor’s degree from Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania; a law degree from Case-Western Reserve University in Cleveland; and an MBA from Georgia State University in Atlanta.

Terry retired from the U.S. Army as a Lieutenant Colonel. He spent his career as an attorney in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps. His posts took him across the country and around the globe, including tours in Germany and Vietnam, where he served during the war.

While in the Army, Terry was the chief legal instructor at the U.S. Army Logistics Management College and chief legal counsel for the U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command. Terry earned the Bronze Star, Meritorious Service and Army Commendation medals.

Terry had several other careers after he retired from the Army. He had a law practice in Richmond, Virginia, from 1992 to 1998. Between 1998 and 2004, Terry worked for the Virginia Department for the Aging as the guardianship and legal service coordinator. Terry started his teaching career in 1988 as an Adjunct Professor at the Florida Institute of Technology Extended Studies Program at Fort Lee, Virginia. He became Site Director in August 2004, retiring in 2013. Terry continued to teach there as an adjunct professor until the time of his death.

Terry was the proud father of two sons, Bill and Pat, and one daughter, Kristina. He was the kind of dad who woke his children up early to go jogging by blasting “Flash Dance” throughout the house; he read “Lord of the Rings” aloud to them; loved Sunday morning father and daughter breakfasts and always was up for a game of Scrabble. He loved walking the dog; hunting for frogs and crawdads in a creek, playing catch and shooting rockets. Terry loved to garden and found tremendous joy in transforming the acreage surrounding his home into an oasis of color, blanketed with lilies, iris and azalea. Terry loved teaching, just as he loved telling a story. He never shied away from a debate, and he was always willing to take a stand on important issues.

Terry met Betsy Snipes while stationed in Atlanta with the Army. They were married for 31 years. Terry and Betsy made the Richmond area their home after Terry’s retirement from the Army.

Terry was active in the community, including as a member of the City Strategy Team for the City of Richmond; as a member and chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Stratford Hills United Methodist Church in Richmond; and, more recently, as an active member and past vestry member of Saint James the Less Episcopal Church in Ashland, Virginia.

Terry is survived by his wife Betsy Snipes of Beaverdam; his son Bill Raney and his wife Suzanne of Kansas City, Missouri; his son Pat Raney and his wife Carrie of Lawrence, Kansas; his daughter Kristina Raney of Beaverdam; and his grandchildren Abigail, Drew, Henry, Charlotte and Virginia Raney.

Terry also leaves behind his aunt Nancy Pierce and her husband MacDonald Pierce of Southern Pines, N.C.; his uncle Earl Shaw of Hueneme, California; his father-in-law Bill Snipes of Birmingham, Alabama; and his sisters-in-law Marcie Raney of Prescott, Arizona, and Lila Slappey and her husband Carter Slappey of Birmingham.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, May 16, 2015 at 2PM at St. James the Less Episcopal Church in Ashland. The church is located at 125 Beverly Rd. A reception will take place immediately following the service in Brydon Hall at the church.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donation to Saint James the Less Episcopal Church in Ashland, Virginia.

What a shock! He had such a wonderful sense of humor! It was an important part of his life, and he shared it so freely. I have wondered why I hadn't heard from him lately. I send my deepest sympathy to his wonderful family. We will all feel his loss in our lives.